MLB Opening Day 2014: Live Stream And TV Channel Info, Plus Start Times For Monday's Baseball Games

The St. Louis Cardinals visit the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day 2014. Photo: Reuters

The final day of March marks Opening Day for almost the entire MLB. Twenty-five teams will play their first regular-season games of 2014 on Monday.

Of the 13 games on the schedule, five will be broadcast on national TV. ESPN and ESPN2 will air 12 consecutive hours of baseball. Each nationally televised game can also be seen online, with a free live stream.

Almost every matchup pits divisional rivals against each other. Only four games will see teams compete outside of their divisions. In the only interleague contest on the schedule, the Texas Rangers host the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates will begin the day’s action. Chicago has been one of the worst MLB teams in the past five years, failing to reach the playoffs and averaging over 90 losses. In 2013, the Pirates had their best season in two decades, finally finishing above .500 and making the postseason.

At 3 p.m. ET, the Boston Red Sox will begin the defense of their World Series championship, with a game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox have never reached the Fall Classic in the year after winning the title.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the lone team on Monday’s schedule that has already played meaningful games in 2014. On March 22, the team began a two-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Australia. Arizona will host the San Francisco Giants, after being swept by L.A.